It appears the relationship between Malaysia Airlines and the country's defence minister Mohamad Sabu has been patched up.

Minister tells Malaysia Airlines he still loves them

On June 25, Mohamad said he did not hold any grudges against Malaysia Airlines, after it issued an apology to him, The Malay Mail reported.

Adding that he held the airline dearly in his heart, Mohamad further praised its service and highlighted that he had been a frequent user of the airlines prior to becoming a minister.

As per Mohamad:

"Malaysia Airlines is always in my heart. Despite me not being a minister before, I was a Malaysia Airlines platinum card holder because I regularly used this company’s service when flying overseas."

Mohamad also highlighted that "Malaysia Airlines is still my choice for domestic and overseas trips" and said that he had since contacted their CEO, Izham Ismail, to discuss the matter.

Previously criticised Malaysia Airlines

On June 24, Mohamad had lambasted the airline for a delay that resulted in him missing a meeting with Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in London on June 16.

In a statement released on Twitter, Mohamad stated that the inconvenience was very much "regretted" and hoped that such an incident would not happen again in the future.

The delay had lasted for about two-and-a-half hours on June 15, in Kuala Lumpur.

Criticised for criticising

Mohamad's critique subsequently drew criticism online from the public, as well as from the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA), The Star reported.

The party's vice-president, Tan Teik Cheng, slammed Mohamad's comments as immature and an embarrassment.

Tan said: "Mat Sabu’s action was clearly childish and immature, turning a simple issue into an international laughing stock, and causing Malaysia a great deal of embarrassment."

In throwing his support behind Malaysia Airlines, Tan said that Mohamad was blaming the airlines with little basis and added that the matter should have been taken up with Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke instead.

Tan added: "Mindlessly blaming the aviation company is unfair towards MAS, especially its crew and other staff. Does Mat Sabu realise that MAS comes under the Transport Ministry Anthony Loke’s jurisdiction?"

Tan also questioned the need for Mohamad to meet Mahathir personally in London, implying that the meeting could have been done online instead.

Tan also said: "Besides that, what justifies the need for Mat Sabu to travel miles afar to UK to meet the Prime Minister? Current technologies are sufficiently advanced to cater most discussions, hence what was the issue of such paramount concern that it necessitates a face-to-face meeting?"

More details on what Mohamad originally said about Malaysia Airlines:

Top image collage from Malaysia Airlines Facebook and Mohamad Sabu Facebook